Nevşehir Cuisine

Nevşehir Cuisine represents the culinary culture of Nevşehir, located at the heart of the historical Cappadocia region in Central Anatolia. This cuisine is the product of thousands of years of historical accumulation, shaped by the contributions of numerous civilizations including the Hittites, Phrygians, Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Seljuks and Ottomans. The province’s continental climate and fertile soils have played a decisive role in determining the diversity of agricultural and livestock products that form the foundation of its cuisine.

Nevşehir cuisine is primarily based on wheat (especially bulgur and cracked wheat), legumes (chickpeas, beans, lentils), potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peppers, squash and products derived from viticulture such as grapes and grape derivatives. Animal-based foods prominently feature lamb and beef, milk, yogurt and cheese. The cuisine is characterized by its dough-based dishes, winter preparations (drying, tomato paste, pickling, grape molasses production) and long-term cooking techniques using earthenware vessels (testi, çömlek).

The most distinctive feature of traditional Nevşehir cuisine is the comprehensive preparations made for the winter months. These preparations also serve as an expression of communal solidarity (imece).

After the grape harvest, grapes are collected and crushed in special areas called "şırahane" to extract their juice. This juice, known as şıra, is treated with "pekmez soil" and then boiled in large troughs until it transforms into pekmez. From pekmez, additional products are made: köftür (a sweet made by mixing grape juice with flour and starch) and şire tarhanası (a dried fruit-like product made by boiling and drying grape juice with cracked wheat).

^{Pekmez Production Stage} (Anadolu Agency)

Tomatoes harvested in summer are left in the sun, mashed, strained and then boiled again in the sun until they thicken into tomato paste. Tomato and pepper are used to make "açılı" (spicy paste), while various vegetables such as beans, eggplants and peppers are preserved in cans.

Almost all vegetables (okra, eggplant, squash, peppers, tomatoes, beans) are thinly sliced or strung on threads and dried under the summer sun, then stored for use in winter meals.

Fruits are dried in the sun and used in winter to make hoşaf (fruit compote).

^{Representative Winter-Dried Vegetables (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

Vegetables and fruits such as peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, beans and even grapes and watermelon are pickled in a mixture of vinegar (made from grape must), water and salt. Even the brine of grape pickles is consumed as a drink.

Two types of tarhana are made. "Şire tarhanası" is made from grape juice and cracked wheat, while "yoğurt tarhanası" is made from strained yogurt and cracked wheat. The mixture is formed into dough, dried and stored, then consumed as soup.

Dough made from flour, water and salt is rolled into thin sheets and baked on a griddle for winter storage. When ready to eat, it is moistened with water to soften.

Meat from animals slaughtered in autumn is cut into cubes, fried and preserved as "sızgıt" in cool places. "Çömlek peyniri" is produced by packing salted cheese tightly into earthenware jars, sealing them from air and burying them in the ground to mature.

^{Çömlek Peyniri (Photo: Mehtap Pamuk)}

Nevşehir cuisine offers a rich variety of dishes ranging from soups to meat dishes, from dough-based foods to desserts, all shaped by local ingredients and traditional cooking methods passed down through generations. These dishes revolve around fundamental ingredients such as bulgur, cracked wheat, potatoes, dried legumes, grapes and grape products (pekmez, pestil). Slow, prolonged cooking in earthenware vessels (testi, çömlek, güveç) is one of the most characteristic features defining the flavor profile of this cuisine.

Soups such as wedding soup, tarhana soup, kesme soup, beet soup, tandır soup and green lentil soup are prepared.

Testi kebabı (meat and vegetables slow-cooked for a long time in a testi), dried beans cooked in a çömlek, chickpea yahni, meatballs in broth, and dried beans cooked in a tandır (ağpakla) are prepared.

^{Testi Kebabı} (Anadolu Agency)

Dishes such as stuffed flowers (stuffed zucchini blossoms), stuffed green tomatoes (göyönü), pezik sarma (beetleaf wraps), madımak dish, potato meatballs and dıvıl (boiled potato and bulgur meatballs) are prepared.

Dolma mantı, meat mantı, erişte, Nevşehir mantı, bulgur pilaf, lentil pilaf and potato pilaf are prepared.

Desserts such as aside (made by frying flour in oil and mixing with pekmez and sugar), baklava, quince dessert, squash dessert, stuffed apricots, köftür and bulamaç are prepared.

Nevşehir cuisine is an integral part of social life and beliefs. Special dishes are prepared and served during life transitions such as birth, circumcision, military send-off, wedding and death. For example, new mothers are given bulgur soup and sherbets to promote milk production; at weddings, chickpea yahni, stuffed grape leaves and meatballs in broth are highlighted; neighbors bring food to the home of the bereaved. On Aşure Day, "şire çorbası" is cooked and distributed. Special preparations are made for Ramadan and Eid al-Adha.